Fujifilm X30 versus Fujifilm X-M1

The Fujifilm X30 and the Fujifilm X-M1 are two digital cameras that were announced, respectively,
in August 2014 and June 2013. The X30 is a fixed lens compact, while the X-M1 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera. The cameras are based on a 2/3 (X30) and an APS-C (X-M1) sensor. The X30 has a resolution of 12 megapixel, whereas the X-M1 provides 16 MP. Read on to find out how these two cameras compare with respect to their size, their sensors, their features, and their reception by expert reviewers.

Body comparison: Fujifilm X30 vs Fujifilm X-M1

An illustration of the physical size and weight of the Fujifilm X30 and the Fujifilm X-M1 is provided in the side-by-side display below. The two cameras are presented according to their relative size. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are available. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter. You can also use the toggle button to switch to a percentage comparison if you prefer that the measures are being expressed in relative terms (in this case, the camera on the left side – the X30 – represents the basis for the calculations across all the size and weight measures).

If the front view area (width x height) of the cameras is taken as an aggregate measure of their size,
the Fujifilm X-M1 is notably smaller (9 percent) than the Fujifilm X30. In this context, it is worth noting that neither the X30 nor the X-M1 are weather-sealed.

The above size and weight comparisons are to some extent incomplete and possibly misleading, as the X30 has a lens build in,
whereas the X-M1 is an interchangeable lens camera that requires a separate lens. Attaching the latter will add extra weight and bulk to the setup. You can find an overview of optics for the X-M1 and their specifications in the Fujinon X Lens Catalog.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the two cameras alongside a broader set of comparators. If you would like to visualize and compare a different camera combination, just use the right or left
arrows in the table to switch to the respective camera. Alternatively, you can also navigate to the CAM-parator app and
make your selection from the full list of cameras there.

Any camera purchase will naturally be influenced heavily by the price. The listed launch prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The X30 was launched at a lower price than the X-M1, despite having a lens build in. Normally, street prices remain initially close to the MSRP, but after a couple of months, the first discounts appear. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison: Fujifilm X30 vs Fujifilm X-M1

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. A large sensor will generally have larger individual pixels that offer better low-light sensitivity, provide wider dynamic range, and have richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

Of the two cameras under consideration, the Fujifilm X30 features a 2/3 sensor and the Fujifilm X-M1
an APS-C sensor. The sensor area in the X-M1 is 534 percent bigger. As a result of these sensor size differences, the cameras have a format factor of, respectively, 3.9 and 1.5. The sensor in the X30 has a native 4:3 aspect ratio, while the one in the X-M1 offers a 3:2 aspect.

With 16MP, the X-M1 offers a higher
resolution than the X30 (12MP), but the X-M1 nevertheless has larger individual pixels (pixel pitch of
4.80μm versus 2.20μm for the X30) due to its larger sensor. However, the X30 is a somewhat more recent model (by 1 year and 2 months) than the X-M1, and its sensor
might have benefitted from technological advances during this time that enhance the light gathering capacity of its pixel-units. Coming back to sensor resolution, it should be mentioned that neither of the two cameras has an anti-alias filter installed, so they are able to capture all the detail the sensor resolves.

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for many cameras. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of comparator-cameras.

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but can also record movies. Both cameras under consideration have a sensor with sufficiently fast read-out times for moving pictures, but the X30 provides a higher frame rate than the X-M1. It can shoot video footage at 1080/60p, while the X-M1 is limited to 1080/30p.

Feature comparison: Fujifilm X30 vs Fujifilm X-M1

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the X30 has an electronic viewfinder (2360k dots), which can be very helpful when shooting in bright sunlight.
In contrast, the X-M1 relies on live view and the rear LCD for framing. The adjacent table lists some of the other core features of the Fujifilm X30 and Fujifilm X-M1 along with similar information for a selection of comparators. If needed, the dpreview camera hub, for example, contains further detail on the cameras' specs.

The X30 is a current model that online retailers, such as amazon, will have in stock.
In contrast, the X-M1 has been discontinued (but it can be found pre-owned on eBay). There has not been a direct replacement model for the X-M1 from Fujifilm.

Review summary: Fujifilm X30 vs Fujifilm X-M1

So what conclusions can be drawn? Is the Fujifilm X30 better than the Fujifilm X-M1 or vice versa? The listing below highlights the relative strengths of the two models.

Arguments in favor of the Fujifilm X-M1:

More flexible: Takes interchangeable lenses and can thus be used with specialty optics.

More heavily discounted: Has been on the market for longer (launched in June 2013).

If the number of relative strengths (bullet points above) is taken as a guide, the X30 is the clear winner of the match-up (8 : 4 points). However, the relevance of individual strengths will vary across photographers, so that you might want to apply your own weighing scheme to the summary points when reflecting and deciding on a new camera.

X30 08:04 X-M1

In any case, while the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it remains incomplete and does no justice, for example, to the way the X30 or the X-M1 handle or perform in practice. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate. This is why hands-on reviews by experts are important. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, photographyblog). The full reviews are available by clicking on the site logo in the table header.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

Other camera comparisons

Did this review help to inform your camera decision process? If you would like to see a different side-by-side camera review, just use the search menu below. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored. If you do not see the camera that you are looking for, kindly get in touch, and I will try to add information on that model to the database.